A Word from the Executive Director
A Word from the Executive DirectorWe are grateful for the outpouring of support from alumni, faculty, staff, volunteers, and others seeking ways to help during this time of uncertainty in our communities.
This year law students, working under the supervision of our attorneys, served 1,100 clients and invested more than 5,600 hours to deliver nearly $1M in free legal services to low-income individuals and families. In doing so, law students gained valuable legal skills while cementing their commitment to social justice advocacy. The stories below illustrate their work and some of the exciting things currently taking place at the Law Center.
Your support inspires us to do our work with even greater urgency and effectiveness. When our attorneys appealed for your financial support recently, many of you responded generously, and we thank you for that. Yet, much work remains to be done. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a gift to keep programs strong for our law students and client community. The graphic below illustrates the impact of your gifts.
We look forward to recognizing the work that you make possible at the Annual Celebration on Saturday, October 7th, at the Hotel Valencia on Santana Row (see the link below). I hope you can join us.
Sincerely,
Deborah Moss West
Executive Director
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Come to the Annual Celebration on Saturday, October 7 at the Hotel Valencia, in Santana Row
Come to the Annual Celebration on Saturday, October 7 at the Hotel Valencia, in Santana RowOur theme this year is “Together We Rise!”, in recognition of the extraordinary solidarity and resilience of our Law Center community. Come share in the inspiration, the great company, and the possibility to win exciting auction items.
REGISTER NOW!
In Partnership with the La Raza Lawyers of Santa Clara County Charitable Foundation, the Law Center Welcomes New Summer Fellow
In Partnership with the La Raza Lawyers of Santa Clara County Charitable Foundation, the Law Center Welcomes New Summer FellowSecond-year law student Gilberto Orozco, Jr. is the recipient of the inaugural Cindy Avitia Immigration Justice Summer Fellowship, established this year through a partnership between the Alexander Community Law Center and La Raza Lawyers of Santa Clara County Charitable Foundation. Selected from a pool of talented applicants, Gilberto will receive a $5,000 grant from the Foundation to work full-time for approximately 10 weeks at the Law Center. He will be supervised and housed in the Law Center’s Immigration unit and will work on all aspects of immigration cases.
“It is my privilege to apply my skills and knowledge to help others in need, and I look forward to continue learning and gaining legal experience at the Law Center,” says Gilberto, who had been introduced to the Law Center through the Workers’ Rights course he completed prior to applying for the fellowship. Along with financial need and good academic standing, applicants also had to demonstrate commitment to the advancement of social, economic and legal equality of Latinos and other communities of color, as reflected by their work experience and extracurricular and volunteer activities.
The fellowship is named in memory of Cindy Avitia ’06, a long-time member of Santa Clara County La Raza Lawyers Association, graduate of Santa Clara Law, passionate advocate for immigrant rights, and former employee of the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center. The Law Center is grateful to the La Raza Lawyers of Santa Clara County Charitable Foundation and to the members of the Alexander Community Law Center Advisory Board, particularly Sylvia Kennedy J.D. ’94, for spearheading this summer learning opportunity.
Deborah Moss-West moderates the Community Impact Response Panel, formed by Father Jon Pedigo (Director of Projects for Peace and Justice, Diocese of San Jose), Lynette Parker (Alexander Community Law Center Immigration Supervising Attorney), Beatrice Ann M. Pangilinan (Asian Law Alliance) and Brittney Rezaei (CAIR – CA).
On-campus Symposium Sheds Light on Sanctuary Jurisdictions
On April 21, the Alexander Community Law Center supported the Santa Clara Law Review students in hosting the Sanctuary Jurisdiction Symposium on the Santa Clara University campus. Open to students, faculty, law professionals and the community at large, the 9am-to-2pm event sought to explore the history of sanctuary jurisdictions, constitutional issues often associated with federal and sub-federal immigration policies, and the likely direction of these policies under the Trump administration.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren J.D. ’77 and Assemblymember Ash Kalra welcomed over 100 guests while voicing their support for the immigrant community and its many contributions to the social and economic fabric of the region. The symposium featured nationally-recognized scholars, legal practitioners and local community activists who led three interactive panels that addressed the historic and constitutional dimensions of sanctuary jurisdictions, as well as community-based responses to the current immigration actions and policies.
The Law Review is a legal periodical edited and published by Santa Clara University law students. Under the guidance of law professors, upper-division student who maintain a 3.00 GPA may earn academic credit through their participation. The Law Review’s primary objective is to provide a practical research tool for practicing California attorneys, members of the judiciary, scholars, and law students. It informs its subscribers of emerging legal trends and developments and presents new approaches to the analysis of current legal problems.
“This event gave us an opportunity to collaborate with an outstanding student group to bring to the forefront a subject of great relevance not only to the legal community, but to our community as a whole. We are grateful to student organizer Emily Tewes, her team and all symposium participants,” says Alexander Community Law Center Executive Director Deborah Moss-West.
Where are they now?
James Lindfelt J.D. ’10, Law Center Alumnus, Joins Advisory Board
The Law Center Advisory Board is pleased to welcome James Lindfelt J.D. ’10, a Litigation Attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. As a litigation senior associate at Pillsbury, James represents a wide range of clients from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in complex commercial, securities, consumer, employment and privacy litigation in both federal and state court. While in law school, he enrolled in the Workers’ Rights unit of the Alexander Community Law Center. After graduation, from August 2010 to December 2011, James joined the Law Center as a fellow, working with Margarita Alvarez, Workers’ Right Supervising Attorney. During that time, in addition to representing Law Center clients in a wide range of employment issues, James also closed a distinctive professional loop by instructing and supervising students taking the same clinical courses he had taken years earlier.
Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center
1030 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 288-7030 | Fax: (408) 288-3581
